UFC Vegas 59 started off with a bit of controversy right out of the gates, when Mayra Bueno Silva defeated Stephanie Eggers via 1st-Round Submission in the very first fight of the night.
The controversy came after Bueno Silva locked up a deep armbar from the closed guard. The submission was as deep as it gets and it was clear to see for audiences at home. However, what wasn’t clear to see was Eggers’ tap, because her arm was out of view. Bueno Silva let go of the submission, respecting a tap, but Eggers stood up and protested, showing a look of confusion.
Bueno Silva gave Eggers a look and reassured her, “Hey, you tapped.” But Eggers wasn’t giving in. It was an awkward moment, and everyone seemed a bit unsure of the protocol in this situation. Bueno Silva immediately requested a video replay, but even with all of the camera coverage, Eggers’ tap was hidden by the position they were in.
At this point, referee Chris Tognoni polled the judge’s for a decision on the tap. The first judge, said they didn’t see a tap. The second, who was sitting in perfect view when the alleged tap took place, claimed “100%” that he saw the tap. Herb Dean was sitting next to him and said the same thing, but his answer was not officially considered. The 3rd judge said that the testimony of the other judge was good enough for him, and the fight was officially ruled a submission victory in favor of Bueno Silva.
If the tap did occur, Bueno Silva showed incredible sportsmanship by not injuring her opponent, because she most likely could have broken the arm and caused serious damage which would have resulted in Eggers being out of commission for some time.
At the same time, it is your duty to fight until the referee stops you, and if the fight would have been resumed, it would have been due to Bueno Silva’s good deed.
Bueno Silva’s win was the 4th Fastest submission in UFC Women’s Bantamweight history, a stat that is easily overlooked from all of the drama surrounding the moment. However, it should be noted that Bueno Silva’s jiu-jitsu looked really good against the credentialed judo player. Her record improves to 9-2 with 6 wins by Submission.
Mayra Bueno Silva was emotional after her submission win over Stephanie Egger at #UFCVegas59 pic.twitter.com/gdJAkKanON
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) August 7, 2022
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